Increment by Three
From IFWiki
| Increment by Three | |
|---|---|
| Game | |
| Main links | |
| Published | 1994 |
| Credits | |
| Authors | Carl de Marcken and David Baggett |
| Reception | |
| IFDB rating | 2 out of 5 (22 ratings) |
| Gameplay | |
| Interaction style |  Parser |
| Literary genre |  Adventure |
| Location |  One-room |
| Language | English |
| Cruelty scale | Tough |
| Accessibility | Colour: none. Graphics: none. Sound: none. |
| Technical details | |
| Authoring systems | TADS 2, WorldClass |
| Format | TADS 2 |
| License | Freeware |
| IFID | TADS2-6ACBC6C7D9E402E84E26F5E54C9EA767 |
| Browse the games database • Edit this page | |
- Note: The name of this article should really be +=3, but wiki software limits what characters are usable in article names. The "+=" part means "increment by" in some programming languages like C.
How it begins
You're almost there -- 99 points out of 100 and what looks to be a run-of-the-mill troll on the bridge puzzle. Should be trivial for an adventure game god like you. And besides, any puzzle with a logical solution can't be *too* hard to solve. All you have to do is get past the troll, and you will have won.
Notable features
- There is only a single puzzle, which is (depending on your point of view) either unfair, a comment on interactive fiction conventions, or both.
- The authors write, in the game: This game is not impossible, but it is very difficult. In fact, the authors suspect that few (if any) will be able to solve it the direct way; i.e., by using the clues in the game and common sense to figure out how to solve the puzzles.
- According to Carl Muckenhoupt: Written as an example of how not to write games. Specifically, the thesis it seeks to prove is that it is possible for a puzzle to have a completely logical solution, and yet be nearly impossible to solve except by randomly guessing commands. This was the centerpiece of a heated debate on rec.arts.int-fiction. Not meant to be played and enjoyed.
Versions
Version 1.2
Date: 1994
- +=3: A Controversial but Nevertheless Logical Adventure (co-designer: Carl de Marcken, co-designer and coder: David Baggett; 1994; TADS 2).
- IFID: TADS2-6ACBC6C7D9E402E84E26F5E54C9EA767
IFID links: IFDB - Note: uses WorldClass library version 1.3.1
- Game: Download 3.gam from the IF Archive
- Source code: Download 3.t from the IF Archive
- IFID: TADS2-6ACBC6C7D9E402E84E26F5E54C9EA767
Links
N.B. Many IF Archive games are temporarily unavailable in the UK.
General Info
- +=3 (archived) - at Baf's Guide.
- +=3 - at IFDB.
- +=3: A Controversial but Nevertheless Logical Adventure at MobyGames
Reviews
Spoilers
- Walthrough: Download 3.step from the IF Archive
Date: 1994